Climate Change, Energy Transitions, and COVID-19 Lessons

George Rhee, Associate Director NASA Spacegrant Nevada and Physics and Astronomy Professor at University of Nevada Las Vegas and with childhood connections with Geneva Monthly Meeting, has shared a brief video exploring the parallels between responses to climate change and COVID-19, the roles we have in our local communities, and what it would take to transition away from fossil fuels. Rhee has also devised a calculator to assist in what energy transitions might look like.

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One thought on “Climate Change, Energy Transitions, and COVID-19 Lessons”

Friends, thank you for posting this. I have written a long comment on the YouTube site, and would like to share it with you. Perhaps you would find it worthwhile to post to this listserv. I am a member of Durango (Colorado) Monthly Meeting and Intermountain Yearly Meeting, USA. Richard

Thank you Dr. Rhee. I think that what you have said is both powerful and correct–the coronavirus pandemic is a dress rehearsal for climate change. We have had rooftop solar for 14 years, and our local electrical coop has been looking ahead for at least that long. A small group of dedicated people have managed to change the makeup of our coop’s board so now the majority is pro-renewable energy and the last dinosaur has announced that he will not run again for the board. The coop is considering the best way to transition to 100% renewable energy. I disagree with one of your points–about population increase. Yes, our country will continue to grow in population because of immigration and because of population momentum. Population continues to grow for decades even after the country reaches a Total Fertility Rate (TFR=the number of children a woman bears during her lifetime) of 2.1–replacement. People are choosing to have fewer kids now than in the past! Our country’s current TFR is 1.72, while it approached 4 during the 1950s. There are many reasons for this, including the introduction of effective contraception and the legalization of abortion. Improved voluntary family planning has allowed couples and women to achieve their personal reproductive goals plus has made it possible for us to be less unsustainable. So, in addition to all that you advocated, I strongly recommend that we consider the importance of human population on sustainability. Let’s look not just at the mathematics of energy but also at the mathematics of human population, and advocate for reproductive rights. Thank you! Richard Grossman, MD